The Russian side struck twice on Wednesday and penned deals until the end of the season with 32-year-old forward Lamayn Wilson and 36-year-old combo guard DeJuan Collins.

Both American players are well known to European fans, having spent large part of their careers on this side of the Atlantic.

Collins landed in Europe in 2000 and spent the first four seasons in Germany, playing for Tübingen and Alba Berlin.

He was also on the books of Brose Baskets Bamberg for two years, while he has had one-season spells at Aris Thessaloniki and Kavala in Greece, Pallacanestro Varese in Italy, Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia and Cajasol Sevilla in Spain.

The European club he developed stronger ties with though was Zalgiris Kaunas. The guard first joined the Lithuanian powerhouse in 2007 for one season and then returned in 2010 for a second stint that lasted two years.

Collins tried his luck in Lebanon since parting ways with Zalgiris last summer and was a free agent when Krasnye Krylia approached him.

Wilson meanwhile had started this season at another EuroChallenge side, Georgian outfit Armia, before a short spell in Puerto Rico during the winter.

The 2.03m forward played featured in all six EuroChallenge Regular Season with Armia, averaging 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while he posted similar figures in his nine games in the Georgian Superleague, contributing 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.

He had an excellent season last year with Czech champions CEZ Nymburk, averaging 14.3 points and five rebounds in the domestic Mattoni NBL League and 11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the VTB United League.

Also on Wednesday, Karsiyaka announced they had agreed to terms with small forward Melvin Sanders.

The 32-year-old American will step in for the sidelined-through-injury Jon Diebler, who is not expected to return to action before the end of April.

Sanders parted ways with Italian second division side Sigma Barcellona the day before signing with Karsiyaka and returns to Turkey after having played in the BEKO Ligi last year with Hacettepe Ankara.

In 16 Legadue games this season he averaged 8.4 points on 50.8% shooting from two-point range, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

During his long career in Europe he has also suited up among others for Varese in Italy, BC Oostende in Belgium, Pau Orthez in France, Panellinios in Greece, Unicaja Malaga, Menorca and Gran Canaria in Spain.

He last competed in the EuroChallenge in the 2010/11 season with Belarussian champions BC Minsk 2006 (now Tsmoki-Minsk).

TIRED KATAJA FALL ON THE ROAD

Fatigue took its toll on Joensuun Kataja on Wednesday night, as the EuroChallenge quarter-finalists slumped to a 97-81 defeat at Lapuan Korikobrat in Finnish Korisliiga action.

Playing their second consecutive road game in the space of just 24 hours, Kataja got off to a slow start and trailed by 16 points already at half-time, 44-28.

Despite putting in a big effort in the second half, they never really managed to trouble their hosts at any point and failed to follow up their Tuesday victory at UU-Korihait with another success.

Finnish guards Petri Virtanen and Antti Kanervo were Kataja's top scorers in defeat, as the first finished with 25 points and the latter added 18.

Kataja remain in second place in the standings with a 25-7 record, behind league leaders KTP Basket who are at 27-8.